Dreams are compelling for two reasons. They often are a window into the subconscious. They can be a total mystery. Where do they arise? What do they mean? Countless films have tackled the subject of dreams; arguably, they showcase a compelling yarn that blurs the line between reality and nightmare, leaving us wide-eyed. This brings us to Sleepwalker—less a horror film and more a psychological unraveling of a grieving mother’s emotional state. While at times the ideas come off more sleep-deprived than boastful, as a harrowing account of grief and trauma, it is a solid event.
Right at the start, the movie throws us off with reality-questioning optics. We meet Sarah (Hayden Panettiere), who comforts her daughter, Aimee (Corinne Sweeney), after a bad dream. We soon discover that Sarah herself is the one suffering from a nightmare as well as sleepwalking. And to add insult to injury, Sarah’s daughter is already dead. We learn that Aimee died in a car accident that left her father and Sarah’s estranged husband, Michael (Justin Chatwin), in a coma. Reeling from grief, dark visions soon haunt Sarah, and her sleepwalking intensifies. As she tries to grasp hold of herself, reality blurs, and she finds herself descending into utter darkness.
Now, the film has its fair share of surprises in store as we head towards the conclusion. However, as we traverse the rocky dreamscape, we see clues left behind, like a perverse scavenger hunt. Part of the film’s success is convincing us that this is a straightforward horror movie, and it plays many of the tropes and tricks to the hilt.
For Sarah, the visions she experiences of both her dead child and her coma-induced husband are jarring. These elements make us believe that the spirits of the undead, or those who have not crossed over, are about to infest the screen. The added presence of Sarah’s 70s relic of a mother, Gloria, played incomparably by Beverly D’Angelo, increases the tension and spookiness.
We see Gloria as one to partake in witchcraft, light cleansing candles, and seek a spiritual awakening. A quasi-exorcist friend of Gloria’s enters the picture to rid the house of the evil forces that may be holding it. And yet, what succeeds in doing is giving us red herrings and prolonging the march of mystery that envelopes Sarah.
At its core, a psychological structure gives the film both its weight and meaning. We learn the entire family suffers from sleepwalking, though it appears only Sarah is driven by the darker forces. This accentuates as more elements begin to culminate, suggesting that Sarah is more prone to supernatural urges and is more the result of living with grief and regret.
The film shows a fractious relationship between Sarah and Michael that is leading to their eventual divorce. And yet, the film deliberately presents Sarah’s point of view as the reference. Michael is shown to be contemptible in all respects, yet as the plot unfolds, we see there is a lot more gray to this narrative than simple black-and-white constructs.
It is D’Angelo’s character who speaks the film’s true raison d’etre. We are meant to follow a linear track, and yet the story makes us work backward and forward, then back again– by taking on a nonlinear approach that gives the feeling of being trapped in a dream. Gloria’s line is both clarifying and haunting.
“That’s how dreams work. It can seem like hours or even days go by. But only a few minutes have passed.” As I said above, the film is far from a usual horror film. Do not expect A Nightmare on Elm Street redux. It uses the spooky elements as a way in, but at its core, Sleepwalker is not about monsters in our dreams or an implosion of reality. It is a story of fear, regret, and ultimately grief. The horrors are not the dream monsters or scary shadows we see in the corner of the room at night. The real horror is the monster inside us.
Are we dreaming now? What is reality? The movie peppers us with these questions, spicing us with the expectation of an interesting result.
Now, a word about Panettiere: she is grace under pressure. A captivating performance elicits both heartache and surprise. Even with the sleep-deprived elements of the story, Panettiere is like watching a natural event. She is both forceful and moving.
For horror fans, this film may be more of a letdown, as it tends to focus on psychological trauma rather than things that go bump in the night. The revelation at the end is sure to draw mixed results. Yet, I found that Sleepwalker did anything but put me to sleep. An unsettling deep dive into grief that kept me on edge right until the end, which felt like a perfect ending to a dream. Abrupt and shocking.
Sleepwalker will debut in select theaters and On Demand on January 9, 2026, courtesy of Brainstorm Media.
An unsettling deep dive into grief that kept me on edge right until the end, which felt like a perfect ending to a dream. Abrupt and shocking.
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & A Christmas Story.
